Chatbots and AI Are Reshaping The Future Of Mobile App Development

The mobile application development space is witnessing an influx of changes and emerging trends to bridge the barriers of communication and engagement between businesses and consumers.

Now, with the onslaught of technology integrations, users of mobile application have very high expectations in terms of experience and features to make their online engagements more secure and convenient. Technologies such as AI and its components have donned the role of change agents for both businesses and tools to address the functionality needs of the mobile apps and broaden the engagement levels with customers.

Many market research agencies have predicted the growth of intelligent applications and AI-powered apps in the mobile market in 2018. These AI-powered smartphone apps are aiding users to learn languages and teach language conversations like Parla- AI-powered English tutor apps and Replika.

For businesses, apps with machine learning capabilities help them analyse business data and predict engagements on social media. It further helps in acquiring the quality leads round the clock, even in your absence. AI-enabled apps that are capable of jotting down notes of important phone calls are assisting sales or customer services personnel to help them focus better on having a conversation with a prospect or customer.

Even in accounting and financial management, AI is being leveraged extensively to do more with customer, sales and marketing data for analysis, targeting and driving core business decisions.

Related: Facebook Messenger Chatbots: Do's and Don'ts

One noteworthy component of AI, chatbot is a smart addition in the mobile app development space. Not so long ago, chatbots were mere buzzwords that evoked the curiosity of the overall tech industry. Eventually, as tech evangelists began exploring its applicability in the customer services area, it demonstrated immense potential in boosting conversion and customer experience. By 2018, almost 15 per cent of the American adults used chatbots to connect and interact with a business in the last one year. And 37 per cent said that they would use chatbots in case of an emergency.

Interestingly, these research insights coincide with the percentage of Americans that use cutting-edge smart home tools like Google Home and Alexa.

Of the respondents, about 35 per cent of them said chatbots were used for resolving their issues and complaints and another 5 per cent sought it for receiving detailed answers or instructions for their problems.

These revelations highlight the usability and simplicity factors involved with the AI-powered apps that render it a ‘human-like’ appeal prevalent in the customer services support calls.

But, how?

Chatbots entail interactive bots that allow users to communicate on a chat interface. This technology empowers many businesses to curb expenses involved in recruiting, training and managing customer support teams and a contact centre by offering customers an interface to chat and have their query resolved. This would mean an adieu to many incoming and outbound phone calls, emails and in-app notifications. Chatbots help address queries and customer issues in real time by providing immediate responses by remaining active on the apps and web forums 24/7.

Chatbots emulate many social media, messaging and mobile apps like Facebook Messenger, Duolingo, Slack, Chip, iMessage, etc in terms of features, user-friendliness and intuitive interface. They are the most preferred medium of communicating with the brands and businesses by customers. As per research stats by OpenMarket report, about 75 per cent of the millennials prefer texting over talking, proving that chatbots in mobile apps are smart collaboration.

Besides, chatbots allow users to access different apps and services with a single program. This curbs the need for downloading multiple apps that eat away the device storage space. From a developer’s point of view, chatbots are easier and cheaper to develop, test and run as opposed to apps that require many months of testing. In addition, chatbots are easier to improve for more human touch with bit more of modifications in their algorithm which gonna be based on ML and data analysis of the existing client base.

As for businesses, chatbots help increase their chances for higher lead conversion by guaranteeing superior customer services by leveraging natural language processing (NLP). Also, it reduces the chances of human error and message delays offer progressive avenues for marketing and sales.

Moreover, the current climate of the technology market coupled with trends in the mobile app usage is all the more reason for the growth of chatbots. Given below are quick industry facts:

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• The global mobile app usage rate is expected to increase, generating 189 billion USD as revenue by 2020, reports Statista.
• Nearly 34 per cent of e-Commerce customers prefer answering to chatbots or virtual assistants, indicating strong acceptance of AI among customers, finds Statista.
• Apart from online retail and e-Commerce, chatbots are predominant in healthcare and telecommunication industry. Almost one in every five respondents reportedly expressed that they are willing to interact with bots using chat interfaces for financial and banking activities.
• Activity and discussions on chatbots between January 2017 to January 2018 grew by 5.6 times, finds data by Facebook.
• More than 67 per cent of the respondents that were a part of the Facebook IQ survey reportedly expressed wanting to interact directly with the sellers and service providers via chats.

Chatbots And AI Will Redefine Messaging

At a very intrinsic level, chatbots proffer the services and capabilities that are available on common messaging apps and IVR platforms. But with the collaboration of chatbots, mobile apps and AI, businesses would be able to achieve its customer acquisition goals and strengthen its association.

For the future, experts believe that chatbots and mobile apps have a long way to go. Chatbots helps like assistants for the business owners in handling the business communication. They are both poised to grow and iterate with the innovations that help them evolve beyond the tag of a ‘messaging apps’. Be it in leveraging data sources to deliver audience or customer specific services or guiding users in real-world, smartphone application developers have plenty of opportunities to incentivize on customer interactions and engagement.

What do you think?